Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 59
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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JULY, 1930 1
SOME REMARKS ON THE BHAGAVADOITA
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at all, it must probably mean that this Upanişad belongs to the time about 600-550 B.C. at the very lowest.90
This Krsna also, from the name of his father, became known as Vasudeva, and as such he is undoubtedly mentioned by Pāņini. I shall not venture to enter upon a renewed in. vestigation of the rule iv, 3, 98 (Vasudevürjunibhuim vun) which has up to a very recent date given rise to a somewhat spirited and partly most infructuous discussion.91 I shall simply take it for granted that in iv, 3, 95, bhakti has its usual sense of 'adoration' or 'Eure ship, and that Vasudeva and Arjuna-of whoin Vasudeva is obviously looked upon as being the chief person-are the well-known heroes of the Mahābhārata. The sūtra of Pānini proves nothing for the existence of the Bhagavadgitā-which at his time in all probability did not exist--as Krona and Arjuna certainly formed a pair already in the earliest nucleus of the Epic. However, Pāṇini apparently knew that these two were worshipped by certain sectarians, which is, after all, no more marvellous than his acquaintance with the followers of Pārāśarya and Silâlin, Karmanda and Krmíva betrayed by Sūtras iv, 3, 110-111---to mention only one single example. And these sectarians were according to him called Vūsuderaka and Arjunaka.99 That is all, and this need probably trouble us no further. That Arjuna should also have shared in some divine honours, or at least have been worshipped as a hero of yore-which in India is scarcely a very uncommon thing-is not so very shocking, seeing that in the Mahabharata Bhisma himself proclaims the divine nature of Krsna and Arjuna,98 and that they were probably at an early date identified with Nārāyaṇa and Nara.94
Pāṇini's date, of course, remains somewhat of a puzzle. The one which has long been semi-traditional in European literature on the subject, viz., 350 B.C., lacks even the very slightest value. The present writer has, some years ago, given it as his humble opinion that some time about 500 B.O. would suit him better,96 and he has so far found no reason to change his opinion.96 If such be the case, then it would follow that Krsna and Arjuna were worshipped as heroes about the presupposed date of the Buddha. That this worship should have had any special connection with the North-Western Frontier, the home of Pāṇini, would be a precipitate conclusion. Still it may be well to remember that, according to the Mahābharata, Arjuna conquers the North and North-West and performs his mighty penance in the far North. He also at the end, like his brothers, dies in the mountains of the North.
90 The very wise words of the late Professor Rhys Davids (CHI., 1, 172 f.) ought to be taken more to heart by scholars than is perhape generally done. The present writer willingly admits that he has at one time himself (op. I A., xliii, 118 1., 125 f., 167 f.) maintained, in the face of evidence perhaps just as valuable, that the year of Buddha's death was 477 B.C. This as well as other dates is, of course, mere guess-work. All we know is, unfortunately, that Asoka (about 250 B.c.) knew of his (pretended or genuine) birth-place, and also that Asoka called him bhagavan. It may have taken some considerable time ere such a title was applied to the founder of a sect that was at the beginning perhaps not very numerous. That time may have been two or three centuries, perhaps even more and certainly less. There would, of course, be 8 slightly older testimony for Buddha's existence if the fragment in Clem. Alex. Stroin., i, xv, 71, 6, be roally taken from Megasthenes; but this seems to me highly uncertain. However, the apudvxt may really have been Buddhist friars, and in that case such people would bo proved to havo existed before 300 B.C. : but that does not carry u very much further.
91 Op. Kielhorn, JRAS., 1908, p. 502 1., Professor Keith, ibid., 1908, p. 847 f., Sir G. Grierson, ibid., 1909, p. 1122 ; Bhandarkar, ibid., 1910, p. 168 f., Vaimavism, p. 3; Professor Hopkins, The Great Epic, p. 395, n. 2; Garbe, Bhagavadgita, p. 34 f. ; Mr. Ramaprasad Chandra, MASI, No. 5 (1919), etc.; and quite lately Mr. U. Ch. Bhattacharjee, IHQ., i, 483 f., ii, 409 f., 865, and Mr. K. G. Subralımanyam, ibid., ii, 186 f., 864 f. Tho erlitor of the IHQ. is to ho complimented upon having closed the last mentioned discussion at a fairly carly date.
2 In M h., xiii, 1, 18 f., n huntor is introduced by the name of Arjunaka.
93 Cp. Holtzmann, Mahabharata, ii, 110; cp. Also Dr. Barnett, L.c., p. 87 .. 92 f. The Gitä itself (x, 37) mentions Vasudeva and Dhanajaya in close connection.
9+ Vasudeva and Nārāyana are identified with each other and with Vispu) already in Taitt. Ar., x, 1, 6. 95 Cr. Zeitschr. f. Indologic, ii, 147 f. 90 Cp. also BSOS., iv, 313 ; TRAS., 1928, p. 345 f.
